With too many games to watch each night, there is not enough time to actually write about them.

Ad Libbing Our Way Through Round One

Instructions: Has the first week of the NBA Playoffs left
you as fatigued and drained as it has left me? My entire body is aching and
burning from trying to watch too much, too soon (like when I got back on
the treadmill for the first time in a few years and tried to run five miles).
Since it's been so long since I've watched playoff basketball of this intensity
(10 months, give or take), I'm obviously out of shape and my ability
to cover the games and write something compelling and funny has atrophied. So
I'm mailing this one in and letting you do the work for me. Remember Mad Libs?
This will work just like that... so simply print out this page, grab a friend
and fill in the blank spaces below to help you learn about this first week of
the postseason.

NEW YORK, ____(Today's Date)____ -- As
the ____(flower)____s blossom up and down the
streets of places like ____(American city)____
and ____(another American city)____, the NBA Playoffs
are also back in full bloom.The weather has been ____(adjective)____
across the country this week, but the most ____(adjective)____
of NBA fans have been staying inside despite the constant nagging of their ____(family
member)____ or ____(domesticated animal)____.

And what a ____(adjective)____ week it has been
so far thanks to the ____(adjective)____ play
of ____(NBA superstar)____ and fellow All-Star
____(different NBA superstar)____. They have certainly
done their part to ____(verb)____ to the occasion
since the series began.

Last night was no different as ____(NBA team)____
edged ____(different NBA team)____ to go up ____(number)____
games to ____(smaller number)____ in the best-of-seven
series. Behind the efforts of its star, the home team looked ____(adjective)____
while the road team played without ____(noun)____.
He finished with ____(number)____ points and ____(smaller
number)____ rebounds. What has been even more ____(adjective)____
is the fact that he was able to ____(verb)____
at such a high level despite the ongoing effects of a lingering injury to his
____( body part)____. The only word suitable to
describe his play was ____(adjective)____.

Of course, this is nothing new. He did miss ____(number)____
games over the ____(time frame)____ with sprains
in both ____( body part)____s. But he continues
to ____(verb)____. As for the next game, there
is no question that the ____(adjective)________(noun)____
will be ready to ____(verb)____.

"This is the postseason," he said. "Any top ____(noun)____
making ____(number)____ dollars a year should
be able to withstand the pain and be able to ____(verb)____
without ____(noun)____ at this point. This is
what it's all about."

Bench play was another factor as the second team poured in a ____(adjective)____
performance. The reserves shot a whopping ____(number)____
percent from the ____(noun)____. This should give
local fans something else to ____(verb)____ about.
It had been a ____(adjective)________(noun)____
for many of the lesser-used ____(noun)____s, whose
overall playing time and productivity had been steadily declining since ____(Holiday)____.

Playing With ____(Noun)____

Elsewhere, in ____(American city)____ last night,
it all came down to the final ____(noun)____ in
a great game that evened the series at ____(number)____
apiece . After struggling a bit on ____(day of the week)____
night, the team's leading ____(noun)____ returned
to regular season form and had one of his most ____(adjective)____
games of the year. Instead of becoming ____(adjective)____,
the ____(small town in Indiana)____ native instead
decided to engage the opposition and dominate the ____(noun)____.
He ____(verb)____ed down the stretch like an ____(animal)____
devouring a ____(noun)____. He flat out could
not be ____(verb)____ed.

"Ever since losing in the Playoffs in ____(year)____,
I've been playing with a ____(noun)____ and am
more determined than ever to ____(verb)____,"
last night's hero said. "This was really a team effort and I feel a real sense
of ____(emotion)____ with how everyone came together.

Matthew Stockman/NBAE/Getty Images

But this game was about more than just the ____(adjective)____
efforts of one ____(noun)____. According to The
____(major newspaper)____, it was quite clear
which team was more ____(adjective)____ prior
to the start of the game and who was not ready to ____(verb)____.
Despite their status as ____(preposition)____dogs
coming into the series, no one would be surprised if the favorites went ____(direction)____
prematurely.

The ____(Adjective)____ Game

Meanwhile, last night's final game did not tip off in ____(West
coast city)____ until long after most ____(noun)____s
in the East had finished ____(verb)____ing for
the night. For those who were awake, they were treated to an show that was better
than ____(movie)____ or ____(Broadway
show)____. Of course, it didn't start out that way and ended up being
a tale of two ____(noun)____s . In the first half,
both teams really came out ____(adjective)____.
They combined to hit only ____(number)____ 3-pointers
while turning the ____(round object)____ over
nearly double that number.

"That was just ugly," one player said to television interviewer ____(Season)________(Type of precipitation)____ at halftime. "I
mean, I have ____(noun)____s that are way prettier
than that."

But it was a different story in the second half neither team did a very good
job of ____(verb)____ing the ____(noun)____.

"Nothing seemed to go our way,'' the losing coach admitted after the ____(noun)____.
"Hopefully, it will ____(verb)____a ____(noun)____
under us.''

The next game of the series will take place on ____(day
of the week)____ at ____(number smaller than 13)____
o'clock p.m. ET on the ____(letter)________(letter)________(letter)____ network. Be sure to tune in then
for Game ____(number)____.